11.12.2008

So how about a quick tour...?

The finished trailer weighs around 1,100 pounds and is towed by our Nissan Pathfinder, though any non-compact car could pull it just fine. It has its own electric brakes that are activated in-synch with the car's brakes, as well as an emergency breakaway switch that activates the brakes on the trailer if it were ever to come uncoupled from the car's hitch while driving. Its overall dimensions are approximately 7 feet wide (including the fenders), 5 feet tall, and 12 feet long (from tail to coupler).

The trailer is essentially two compartments: the first being the sleeping area (i.e.- the "cabin"), while the second opens up the cooking area (i.e.- the "galley").

The Cabin

The sleeping area of the trailer has a standard queen size foam bed. Of the 80" length of the bed, approximately 22" at the bottom extends cubby-hole fashion under what makes up the countertop in the galley. Even for someone over 6 feet, there is ample room for feet and knees. The rest of the cabin enjoys the full height of the trailer body at roughly four feet. There is approximately 12 cubic feet of storage space shared between the cabinets that are mounted in the cabin and the cabinet that extends from the front of the trailer onto the trailer tongue (the little hump in the front). These spaces are usually used for storing clothes, toiletries, and books, with the tongue storage area usually holding our portable shower tent and extra blankets.

For movie night, there is a small 7 inch portable LCD DVD player that runs on batteries or can plug into a 12v outlet - its not big enough to tempt you into watching the Godfather, but is great for watching an episode of The Office or Weeds before going to sleep.

Also located in the cabin is a electronic thermostat that registers the temperature inside the cabin, as well as outside via a small wire that is routed outside through the roof vent.

The roof vent itself has an integrated 12 volt fan that runs on the trailer's battery system and is micro-adjustable and feaures a rain sensor that will automatically close the vent top and stop the fan if it starts to rain while you are away. The roof vent is operated via a remote control mounted between the bed's pillows.

So you are headed to the desert southwest or Baja Mexico and are worried about cooking to death if the nightime temperature is 90 degrees? Not in this trailer. On either side of the roof vent are clear "portholes" that serve as the intake and exhaust valves for the trailer's outboard air conditioning system. The two portholes are actually deck plates that are used on yachts for ventilating below-deck cabins. In this case, I unscrew the clear portion of the deck plate and then screw in a 4 inch wide flexible hose into each fitting and then attach the ends of those 2 hoses to the AC unit that sits just outside the trailer's door and viola- an AC system that recirculates the cabin's air to about 20 degrees below the outside ambient air temp! The AC system only runs on 120volt household current (not the trailer's 12volt batteries) so it can only be used in an established campground that has an electricity hookup. We haven't used it yet, but I know the day we do, it'll be worth the extra effort - I've slept in enough hot and stuffy tents to tide me over.

Rounding out the ammenities in the cabin are 2 halogen reading lights on the walls above the pillows. Oh, both doors also have fully operable sliding screen windows for added ventilation and cross-breeze. That about wraps that up...now around back to the galley....

The Galley

The galley is located under the hatch at the back of the trailer. It is essentially the kitchen for this trailer (though it also houses the onboard battery system). Facing the galley, in the center is a stainless steel cooler that is mounted on drawer slides to make accessing it easier. Surprisingly, the cooler will maintain ice for about three days before it needs to be drained and repacked, so it works for all our trips (including recent 10-day and 7-day trips on Vancouver Island, Canada and along Highway 101 in California. To the right of the cooler is a storage cabinet that we mostly use for food. To the left of the cooler is another cabinet that holds our pots and dishes and bowls. Below that is the cookstove. The cookstove is also mounted on drawer slides and when opened reveals a 3 burner stainless steel propane cooktop big enough to cook a serious dinner on the road. Currently, the stove is connected to a small disposable propane tank and regulator located at the top left of the galley. Plans are to mount a standard sized propane tank on the tongue of the trailer and route a propane line back to the galley to service this cookstove - that should cover our propane needs for more than a year of use.

The galley counter has 3 doors that access cubbies located below the countertop. The cubby on the left houses the onboard battery system, which incorporates a 100 amp-hour deep-cycle battery and a 3-stage converter that charges the battery when plugged into an electrical outlet, while at the same time running the lights, fan, and 12 volt appliances. The cubby in the center is the largest at 2 feet wide by 18 inches deep and houses the sink and hotwater heater. Due to the significant space requirements to install a sink directly into the galley countertop, I opted to build a outboard sink that would be stowed in the large cubby and could be setup and knocked down in just a few minutes. The need for a sink really became apparent once we progressed beyond Mac 'n Cheese and hotdog dinners and started cooking on the road the way we do at home...that means way better food and fewer restaraunts, but also means more dishes. Being able to clean up with hot water puts scrubbing a greasy pan under ice cold water at a campsite faucet to shame. Our sink system drains into 5 gallon Jerry cans, so there's no dirty dish water on the ground in our campsite to attract pests and we can dump it in the proper place when we leave - unlike the old "dump it in the restroom toilet 'cause its a half mile through camp with a pot full of soapy water to where you're supposed to dump it".

Lighting in the galley is currently served by three battery operated LED light pucks, however, plans are to swap these with permanent hardwired halogen lights.

The "Pet Pod"

Yes, I know, sounds ridiculous, but when you've got a nice warm queen size bed to bunk down in after a day of hiking or paddling, why share it with a dog that likes to stretch out as far as his joints will allow? So I built the Pet Pod- a detachable, snap-on addition that fits into the door frame on the "driver's side" of the trailer. It is insulated and weatherstripped and of course skinned in mill finish aluminum. In its current form, it is carried in the Pathfinder with us and then set up at camp. Future plans call for rebuilding it so that it collapses for easier storage (like those collapsible/telescoping plastic camping cups). I am also going to replace the door hinges with ones that will allow for the removal of the door when the Pet Pod is attached so that the door can be safely stowed in a dry spot.

I'm not sure if you still check this or get notifications, but I just stumbled onto your blog. Long story short, I'm very close to ordering a Camp Inn. To say the least, I'm blown away by your craftsmanship and your ability to copy their design. It's stunning. Aside from that, I'm very ingrigued by your air conditioner system. This is causing me considerable anxiety-- I don't want to order the trailer with it because I don't think it'd be used that often, costs a bunch, removes storage, etc. But i'd hate to need it and not have it. I was hoping I could chat with you about the system you came up with a little more. My email is drewlyman2@gmail.com.

Hello, thanks for the wonderful blog! My boyfriend and I live in the Portland, OR area and are becoming interested in getting a teardrop trailer. So far, Camp-Inn trailers seem the nicest. Would it be possible to get in contact with you somehow and for us to see your trailer in person?

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What is a Teardrop trailer?

A teardrop trailer, also known as a teardrop camper trailer, is a streamlined, compact, lightweight travel trailer, which gets its name from its teardrop profile - similar to the cross section of an airplane wing. They usually only have sleeping space for two adults and often have a basic kitchen in the rear.

Teardrop trailers first became popular in the 1930s and remained so until the mid 1960s when they disappeared from mainstream camping. However, in recent years teardrop trailers have made a resurgence and are again growing in popularity.

A teardrop trailer is generally small, ranging from 4 to 6 feet in width and 8 to 10 feet in length. They are usually from 4 to 5 feet in height. Wheels and tires are usually outside the body and are covered by fenders. Since teardrop trailers are so light, usually less than 1000 pounds, just about any vehicle can tow one and gas mileage is minimally affected.

There is room inside a teardrop trailer for two people to sleep as well as storage for clothes and other items. Outside, in the rear under a hatch, there is usually an area for cooking referred to as the galley. Teardrop trailers tend to have lighting and other electrical power supplied by 12 volt battery, although some have 110 volt power hook ups like regular travel trailers.

Some teardrop trailer owners participate in camping events for teardrop trailers (called 'gatherings'). The teardrop trailer phenomenon is not local to any one country. Builders reside throughout the Americas, Europe, South Africa and Australia.

Magazines such as Mechanics Illustrated, published plans in the mid 1930s. The first teardrops were designed around the idea of utilizing standard 4 by 8 foot sheets of plywood with hardwood spars. In the late 1990s, plans became available on the internet.

Professionally built teardrop trailers range in price from $5,000 for simple mass-produced units (utilizing modern RV manufacturing technologies and materials) to $15,000 for high-quality, solid-wood constructed units with an array of desirable features including onboard power systems, sizable cooking areas, and even air conditioning.